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I didn’t know until I got to her and saw the body on the ground it was her

Makenzie’s father Joe Wethington

Mr Swainson added that skydivers undertook a six-hour training session on how to react to such problems.

Makenzie, from Texas, also had a radio in her helmet which allowed her to receive instructions.

He added: “It was correctable, but corrective action didn’t appear to have been taken.”

Mr Swainson said he did not leap out of the plane, as he believed there was no chance of reaching Makenzie, who had travelled to Oklahoma to make the jump.

Makenzie’s father Joe Wethington said: “I didn’t know until I got to her and saw the body on the ground it was her. The whole way over there, from the time that I knew [the skydiver was] going to hit the ground... it was ‘please God, don’t be Makenzie, please please please God, don’t be Makenzie.’ And it was.”

Nancy Koreen, of the US Parachute Association, said its safety requirements allow 16-year-olds to skydive with parental consent but some organisations had a higher age limit.

She refused to comment on the case but said the instructor would not have been able to have come to her aid.